In a lively expression of CMC’s leadership mission and values, The Summit inside the Robert Day Sciences Center featured 15 panels that brought together top thinkers and industry experts as they explored critical questions shaping our society. From AI, globalization, and democracy, to trust, creativity, and the future of learning, panelists explored how responsible leaders should think, act, and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Below, we showcase a sample of ideas and insights that emerged during the engaging conversations on April 25.
“Tone comes from the top. If you're a CEO that's operating in a trustworthy fashion … and you're sharing reasons for that decision making with your team, you're going to get a lot further. You have to have that long-run, long-throw vision.”
— Jen Uner ’86, Director of Communications & Insights, The HOW Institute for Society
C-Suite : CEOs in Action
“Moral leaders, responsible leaders, reflect on the situation. They reconnect with their moral commitments, rethink current approaches, reimagine what's possible, see the humanity in everyone, uphold ethical standards, act with courage, seek the truth, foster trust in others, and earn trust in return. They demonstrate humility and know when confidence is and isn't born.”
— Andy Kaiser P’13, Partner, Goldman Sachs (retired)
C-Suite : CEOs in Action
“We've heard for years now, from one side or another, that our democracy is failing. And I think that term, ‘our democracy,’ now encompasses everything that you fear that you're not getting … I don't get all of my policy choices because the other side, the other tribe, has power, and the democracy is failing … I think we've really lost sight of the term ‘democracy’ as our founders set it up.”
— Ron Berenstain ’73, Partner, Perkins Coie
Democracy, Civic Leadership, and the Rule of Law @250
“A creative instinct or tactic that has been useful to me is understanding that what I thought was my weakness, what I felt was my outsider status, I needed to flip that and say this is an essential part of my voice … I've discovered that, for me, the magic sauce is to be vulnerable.”
— Shelley Blanton-Stroud ’83, Historical Novelist and Writing Consultant
Creativity: Arts, Film, and Storytelling
“Humans are wired for story … we’re desperate for stories. We crave stories. They give us meaning and they help us understand the world in a more meaningful way. We want to be transported, we want to be transformed, and we’re lucky we have so many different tools we can use to enhance that ability to transform and transport people.”
— Diane Wagner ’87, Executive Producer, “Migrant Child Farmworkers to High-Profile Professionals”
Creativity: Arts, Film, and Storytelling
“Part of our role as educators is to help students so they can … bring in empathy, (make) symphony out of chaos, design, tell stories … and liberal arts and project-based learning are powerful ways to do that.”
— Takako Mino ’11, Co-founder, Musizi University
Future of Learning and Education
“What I can say from my own journey is that you may get to where you think you want to be, but there's always so much more to learn. And I've really had the privilege and honor of being able to have people ahead of me and people before me who were willing to invest in me.”
— Michelle Oden ’94, EY, Principal, People Advisory Services
Women in Leadership
“My advice to students is to try something that is not what you think is your core. Do something totally chaotic or different, because that might open your mind to something that will serve you well as an entrepreneur.”
— Sue Matteson King ’85 P’18, Private Investor
The New Entrepreneur
“Understand that your first venture is likely to fail, and that's okay. What's amazing about our culture today is that those failures are a badge of respect, like you've learned something. Because you learn more from your failures than your successes … Don’t make your decisions based on will I be perfect at that?”
— Scott Kosch ’93 P’26 P’28, Managing Partner, Kosch Capital
The New Entrepreneur
“If you have an integrity issue about where you are, and you don't believe it's the right path in your life, the good news is, you can always make a change. We can always change something in our lives.”
— Shamil Hargovan ’10, Managing Partner, STS Capital Partners
Revisiting Theories of the Good Life: Community, Purpose, Play
“At the heart of great media and content is good storytelling. And I think a lot of people's perspective, including in my industry, is that you still need people for that. We haven't seen that created in a way that's unique and not derivative.”
— Mitzi Reaugh ’99, Vice President & GM, Global Experiences, Netflix
AI, Media, and Business Model Disruption
“It would be tragic if students were delegating all their classwork to AI. That is a terrible idea. But I really worry about the AI divide, about students who aren't testing it, understanding it, because it's building so fast … This river is moving very, very fast, and you just have to jump in now.”
— Tina Daniels ’93, President & COO, Aquila
AI, Media, and Business Model Disruption
“What used to happen is you would open the newspaper and … you would turn the pages and come upon a story that wasn’t something that you would tell a poster that you ‘liked,’ that you wanted to read. But you came upon it, and you learned something, you were exposed to new ideas.
“[Similarly], you could come here only interested in government, and you could take all your classes in government … never take any humanities. But at CMC we require that, so you’re exposed to new ideas and diverse thoughts and different perspectives. If you only read what you are self-selecting, you’re not going to expand as a person … be open to new ideas … help make democracy work better.”
— Jeff Klein ’75 P’08 P’11 P’14, Executive Chairman, 1105 Media, Inc. (retired)
Trust in Society and Institutions
“My advice is try to enjoy the journey, because you’re going to experience so many cool things as you're going through your career that, if you become so obsessed with the end point, you’ll forget to have fun and enjoy your life.”
— Hector Fernandez ’01, Chief Executive Officer, IGT Gaming and Everi; Former Chief Executive Officer, Aristocrat Gaming
The World of Sports
“Remember that you're not at CMC only to thrive while you're here. You’re supported by a network that will continue to give back to you, which is truly a value-add that persists long term. CMC has the right ecosystem to support and enrich students both now and after they leave.”
— Josh Keough ’04, Strategic Transformation Leader, Genentech; Founder and Program Lead, We Lead the Way
Learn more about The Summit and enjoy additional highlights from CMC Leads celebrations.
Read our recap and view video from the Henry Kravis-George Roberts fireside chat at The Summit.